Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

from hereandthere

If you're like me, I'll bet you haven't given President James Garfield much thought either. Have you? Come on, admit it. He was elected in 1880, shot in 1881 and gone in months, and suddenly it was all Chester Arthur, all the time. But here's a book that manages to make mountains out of this mole...

from mckait

This is compelling book about an extraordinary man. The more I read, the more ashamed I felt that I had not known more about him sooner. This was a man who was born into poverty, who loved family friend and country. He asked nothing from anyone except himself. To say that he was a man of kindness...

from tututhefirst

Instead of the standard biography, Millard has given us a masterful study of the era of the late 19th century when the country was finally beginning to mend from the Civil War. She does this in a unique presentation from three different perspectives: that of Garfield and the politics of the Repub...

from JLSmither

Before reading Destiny of the Republic, I knew roughly three things about James A. Garfield: 1. He'd been president once, a long time ago; 2. He shared his name with a cartoon cat; 3. Wasn't he one of the ones who was shot? I didn't have any particular interest in learning any more about him, but...

from hemlokgang

I would like to have known James Garfield. He sounds like a marvelous human being, statesman, father, and husband. Ms. Millard's book is non-fiction that reads like a well-constructed novel. In fact, it is the combination of fascinating peripheral events occurring simultaneously in time with the ...